Reginald Purdell
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Reginald Purdell (4 November 1896 – 22 April 1953) was an English actor and screenwriter who appeared in over 40 films between 1930 and 1951. During the same period, he also contributed to the screenplays of 15 feature films, such as '' The Dark Tower'', and had a brief foray into directing with two films in 1937.


Early life

Purdell was born in
Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...
, London, the son of Charles William Grasdorff by his marriage to Mary Ann Piddill. At the 1881 census, a few weeks after the marriage, the couple were living in
Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
, and his father stated his name as Carl H. W. Grasdorff, giving his place of birth as Germany, about 1844, while his mother gave hers as
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, about 1857. Grasdorff was naturalized as a
British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...
under the name of Carl Hermann Wilhelm Grasdorff. Mary Ann Grasdorff's maiden name of Piddill, suitably improved, later provided their son's stage name. In 1892, Grasdorff was listed as "Grasdorff, Carl H. W., Newport, Monmouthshire, and Bute Docks, Cardiff, Sailing and Steamship Broker, Coal Exporter, and Managing Steamship Owner". Both parents were living in Clapham in 1901.


Career

As a young man, under the name of Reginald Grasdorff, he served in the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
with the South Wales Borderers regiment for the duration of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. On returning to civilian life after the war, he decided to try his luck as an actor under the name of Purdell and gained experience on the stage through the 1920s. His move into films in 1930 coincided with the advent of the
talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...
era in British cinema. Purdell's first screen appearance was in the 1930 comedy '' The Middle Watch'', in a role he would later reprise in a 1940 remake. He next travelled to
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
to feature in historical drama '' Congress Dances'', an ambitious and lavishly budgeted project by the UFA film company, involving the simultaneous filming of three versions of the same story in German, English and French in an attempt to prove that a European company could challenge the dominance of American studios in the new era of sound by delivering a continent-wide hit. Purdell soon began to accumulate screen credits in a wide variety of films ranging from cheaply made
quota quickies Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a restriction on the quantity of goods that can be imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * ...
to more sophisticated productions. He showed a knack for playing comedy, and his 1930s films fell mainly into this genre, with occasional ventures into straight drama and thrillers. Purdell's screenwriting career began in 1932 and he was most productive in this field during the late 1930s, with only occasional ventures later in his career. He tried his hand at film directing in 1937 with two comedies '' Don't Get Me Wrong'', a Max Miller vehicle co-directed with Arthur B. Woods, and '' Patricia Gets Her Man''. Both films were reasonably well-received, but Purdell appears to have decided that directing was not for him, as there would be no more ventures in this area. In the 1940s Purdell's acting career diversified, with fewer throwaway comedies and more appearances in high-quality dramatic vehicles. His credits included war dramas '' We Dive at Dawn'' and '' Two Thousand Women'', Gainsborough melodrama '' Love Story'', the notorious box-office flop musical '' London Town'' and the classic '' Brighton Rock''. Purdell's last screen appearance was in 1951."Reginald Purdell, British Actor, Dead"
''New York Times'', 23 April 1953. (Subscription required to read online)


Personal life

In the summer of 1928, under his real name of Reginald William Henry Grasdorff, Purdell married May Watson at
Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...
. They had a son in 1932, born in
Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
and registered under the name of John R. W. Grasdorff. Purdell died on 22 April 1953, at Kensington, London. His death was registered under the name of Reginald Purdell and his age stated as 57.Deaths 1953: PURDELL, Reginald, aged 57, in Register of Deaths for Kensington Registration District, vol. 5c (1953), p. 896


Partial filmography

* '' The Middle Watch'' (1930) - Cpl. Duckett * '' A Night in Montmartre'' (1931) - Tino * '' A Night Like This'' (1932) - Waiter (uncredited) * '' Congress Dances'' (1932) - Pepi * '' My Lucky Star'' (1933) - Artist * '' Crime on the Hill'' (1933) - Reporter * '' Up to the Neck'' (1933) - Jimmy Catlin * ''
Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous novel by English writer Jerome K. Jerome describing ...
'' (1933) * '' On the Air'' (1934) - Reggie * ''
The Queen's Affair ''The Queen's Affair'' is a 1934 British musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Fernand Gravey, Muriel Aked and Edward Chapman. An Eastern European President falls in love with the Queen whom he had previously dep ...
'' (1934) - Soldier * '' The Luck of a Sailor'' (1934) - Jenkins * '' What's in a Name?'' (1934) - Harry Stubbs * ''
The Old Curiosity Shop ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is the fourth novel by English author Charles Dickens; being one of his two novels (the other being ''Barnaby Rudge'') published along with short stories in his weekly serial ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', from 1840 t ...
'' (1934) -
Dick Swiveller Richard "Dick" Swiveller is a fictional character in the 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens. Initially a comical accessory to the antagonists in the novel, he undergoes a transformation, becoming a key helpmate bridging the d ...
* ''
Key to Harmony ''Key to Harmony'' is a 1935 British drama film directed by Norman Walker and starring Belle Chrystall, Fred Conyngham and Reginald Purdell. The film is a quota quickie made at British and Dominions Elstree Studios for release by Paramount ...
'' (1935) - Tom Kirkwood * '' Royal Cavalcade'' (1935) - Radio Listener * '' Get Off My Foot'' (1935) - Joe * '' Debt of Honour'' (1936) - Pedro Salvas * '' Where's Sally?'' (1936) - Dick Burgess * '' Crown v. Stevens'' (1936) - Alf * '' Hail and Farewell'' (1936) - Nobby * '' Side Street Angel'' (1937) - McGill * '' Ship's Concert'' (1937, Short) - Reggie * '' The Dark Stairway'' (1938) - Askew * ''Quiet Please'' (1938) - Algy Beresford * '' The Viper'' (1938) - Announcer * '' Simply Terrific'' (1938) - Sam Todd * '' Many Tanks Mr. Atkins'' (1938) - Pvt. Nuts Nutter * '' It's in the Blood'' (1938) * ''
Q Planes ''Q Planes'' (known as ''Clouds Over Europe'' in the United States) is a 1939 British comedy film, comedy spy film starring Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and Valerie Hobson. Olivier and Richardson were a decade into their fifty-year friends ...
'' (1939) - Pilot (uncredited) * '' His Brother's Keeper'' (1940) - Bunny Reeves * '' Pack Up Your Troubles'' (1940) - Tommy Perkins * '' The Middle Watch'' (1940) - Cpl Duckett * '' Busman's Honeymoon'' (1940) - MacBride * '' Fingers'' (1941) - Creeper * '' We Dive at Dawn'' (1943) - Coxwain - C / P.O. Dabbs * '' Variety Jubilee'' (1943) - Joe Swan * '' It's in the Bag'' (1944) - Joe * '' Bell-Bottom George'' (1944) - Birdie Edwards * '' Love Story'' (1944) - Albert * '' Two Thousand Women'' (1944) - Alec Harvey * '' Candles at Nine'' (1944) - Charles Lacey * '' Dreaming'' (1944) * '' London Town'' (1946) - Stage Manager * '' The Root of All Evil'' (1947) - Perkins * ''
Holiday Camp A holiday camp is a type of holiday accommodation, primarily in the United Kingdom, that encourages holidaymakers to stay within the site boundary, and provides entertainment and facilities for them throughout the day. Since the 1970s, the term ...
'' (1947) - Redcoat * '' Captain Boycott'' (1947) - American reporter * '' A Man About the House'' (1947) - Higgs * '' Brighton Rock'' (1948) - Frank * ''
Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...
'' (1950) - Police Car Driver (uncredited) * ''
Files from Scotland Yard ''Files from Scotland Yard'' is a 1951 British crime film directed by Anthony Squire and starring John Harvey (actor), John Harvey, Moira Lister and Louise Hampton. It was made as a second feature on a very low-budget, and the production company w ...
'' (1951) - Inspector Gower


References


External links


Reginald Purdell
at BFI Film & TV Database * {{DEFAULTSORT:Purdell, Reginald 1896 births 1953 deaths English male film actors English film directors English male screenwriters Male actors from London Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth British Army personnel of World War I 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers People from Clapham